Stylets are commonly navigated through tortuous pathways, such as the vascular system of a body. In some procedures, a catheter is carried by the stylet. Once in the desired location, the stylet is retracted to leave the catheter in place. In the event that the desired location of the catheter changes, or an additional medical device is desired to be placed within the catheter, the stylet must be reintroduced into the catheter and rerouted through the tortuous pathway. Such rerouting causes delay during medical procedures and has the potential to cause damage to the cells and tissues making up the tortuous pathway.
Further, several methods have been provided to navigate the distal end of a stylet through a tortuous pathway. However, these methods have been relatively cumbersome and unintuitive. For example, many of the methods require the use of two hands to properly navigate, or require a user to move digits in an awkward fashion. Such methods increase the risk of medical procedures by increasing the time required to perform the procedure and increasing the number of failed attempts to navigate certain pathways. Such methods can also fatigue the hand of the medical practitioner.